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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. court — for sport
  3. scale — size or range
  4. court — of law
  5. squash — the sport
  6. suit — to fit
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. hand — help
  9. suit — clothes
  10. court — of a king
  11. scale — in music
  12. pass — a permit
  13. squash — to crush
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. tear — from crying
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. suit — in cards
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. tear — to rip

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com